Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM’s address at inauguration of Matushri K.D.P. Multi-Speciality Hospital in Atkot, Gujarat
Bharat Mata ki – Jai!
Bharat Mata ki – Jai!
Popular Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel ji, Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party President C.R. Patil, my colleagues in the Union Cabinet, Parshottam Rupala ji, Mansukh Mandaviya ji and Dr. Mahendra Munjapara ji, our senior leaders Shri Vajubhai Vala ji and Shri Vijay Rupani ji, all the trustees of Patel Seva Samaj Trust, all the donors, the revered saints who came here in large numbers to bless us, other ministers of the Gujarat government, MPs, MLAs, and a large number of my dear brothers and sisters who have come to give their blessings despite the heat here at Atkot.
I am glad that today Matushri K.D.P. Multi-Specialty Hospital has been launched. This hospital will help in improving health services in Saurashtra. When the effort of the people is added to the effort of the government, then our power to serve also increases manifold. This modern hospital built in Rajkot is a great example of this.
Brothers and sisters,
The BJP-led NDA government at the Center is completing eight years of service to the nation. You all sent me off  eight years ago, but your love continues to grow. Today, when I have come to the land of Gujarat, I want to bow my head with respect to all the citizens of Gujarat. I have left no stone unturned in the service of the motherland for the last eight years because of your values and teachings on how to live for society. It is due to your culture, the culture of this soil and the culture of this holy land of respected Bapu and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, that I have neither allowed, nor done anything personally in the last eight years that will make you or even a single person of India hang his head in shame.
Over the years, we have given top priority to service of the poor, good governance and welfare of the poor. We have given a new impetus to the development of the country following the mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas’. We have made sincere efforts in these eight years to make India of dreams of Bapu and Sardar Patel. Bapu wanted an India that empowers every poor, downtrodden, oppressed, our tribal brothers and sisters and our mothers and sisters, where cleanliness and health become a part of lifestyle and whose economy is powered by indigenous solutions.
Friends,
Pucca houses to more than three crore poor, open defecation free facilities for more than 10 crore families, freedom from smoke to more than 9 crore poor sisters, electricity connection to more than 2.5 crore poor families, tap water to more than 6 crore families, free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh to more than 50 crore Indians! These are not mere statistics, my brothers and sisters, but proof of our commitment to ensure the dignity of the poor.
Brothers and sisters,
The whole country is watching today when there is a pro-poor government, how it serves them and how it works to empower them. The country has experienced this even during the Corona pandemic, the biggest crisis in 100 years. When the pandemic began, there was a food crisis for the poor, so we opened the granaries of the country for the countrymen. To make our mothers and sisters live with dignity, we deposited money directly in their Jan Dhan bank accounts and in the bank accounts of farmers and laborers and we also arranged for free gas cylinders so that the kitchen of the poor continues to run uninterruptedly. In the wake of challenges in treatment, we made the facilities from testing to treatment accessible to the poor. When the vaccines came, we made sure that every Indian got the vaccines for free. Have you all got the vaccines? Have your vaccinations done? Did anyone have to pay even a penny? Have you even had to spend a rupee?
Brothers and sisters,
On one hand the critical time of Corona, the global pandemic, and nowadays you are seeing that war is also going on. The news of war half the time on TV worries everyone. Even in these circumstances, we constantly tried to ensure that our poor brothers and sisters, and middle-class brothers and sisters did not face difficulties. Now our government is running a campaign to make the facilities 100% accessible to the citizens. He who deserves should get it.
When the goal is to provide facilities to every citizen, then discrimination also ends and there is no scope for corruption. There is no nepotism and no distinction of caste and creed. Therefore, our government is working diligently in taking the schemes related to basic facilities up to cent percent saturation. We are also continuously motivating and helping the state governments in this regard. Our efforts will empower the poor of the country, the middle-class of the country and will make their life easier.
Today I was privileged to visit the first super specialty hospital here in Jasdan and in Atkot and got a chance to meet many donors and trustees. And the trustees told me ‘Sir, don't look back, whosoever comes here will not return ’. It is the words and spirit of the trustees and a modern hospital in its own courtyard. I congratulate Bharatbhai Boghra and all the comrades of Patel Seva Samaj. You all deserve to be congratulated for the great work that Patel Seva Samaj has done today with dedication and you all wish to do something for the society by taking inspiration from this.
Generally, if you inaugurate a factory, a bus station, or a railway station, it comes from the heart that you flourish and people should make efforts so that there is good production in the factory. But what should be said about the hospital? I cannot say that the hospital should always be packed. Though I have inaugurated, we should create such an environment of health in the society that the hospitals should remain empty. No one needs to come. And if everyone is healthy, then no one will ever have to come . And when there is a need to come , he should return home being healthier than before. Such work is going to happen in this hospital. Today, I heartily congratulate Bhupendrabhai and his entire team for the pace in the field of health in Gujarat, the infrastructure that has been prepared and the level at which the work is being done. And it will benefit the common man in every nook and corner of Gujarat. Today Rajkot has emerged as such a place that three or four surrounding districts should feel that it is nearer to us. You can reach here in half an hour or an hour. You all know that AIIMS has been sanctioned in Rajkot in Gujarat and its work is going on at a fast pace.
Sometime back, I came to Jamnagar when the foundation stone of the World's Traditional Medicine Center by WHO was laid. On the one hand, Ayurveda  in Jamnagar and on the other AIIMS in Rajkot and now this hospital in Atkot! Bapu’s pride must have swelled. Friends, you gave me the opportunity to serve you two decades ago. In 2001, there were only nine medical colleges in Gujarat. Do you remember all this or have you forgotten? Tell this to the new generation. Otherwise, they wouldn't even know what was the condition? There were only nine medical colleges and so many people wanted to become doctors. There were only 1100 medical seats. Such a big state of Gujarat and only 1100 seats before 2001! And you will be happy to know that today there are 30 medical colleges in Gujarat, including government and private colleges. Moreover, there is a plan to set up a medical college in every district in Gujarat as well as in the country. There were only 1100 medical seats for MBBS and PG at one time and today there are 8000 seats.
Brothers and sisters, we have made a bold step. Tell me, whether the child of poor parents should become a doctor or not? Tell me in yes or no? But if you ask them first whether they have studied in English or in Gujarati medium. If you have studied in English medium then the doors of becoming a doctor will open. If you have studied in Gujarati medium then all the ways to become a doctor are closed. Is this injustice or not? We changed the rules and decided that anyone wanting to become a doctor or an engineer can practice in their mother tongue too and serve the people.
Friends, when there is a double-engine government, there will be a double advantage. Will it be or not? And do I need to explain to the people of Gujarat that if you have gone to the maternal uncle's house for lunch and your own mother is there to serve you. One will have to understand its meaning. This double-engine government has taken the development of Gujarat to new heights by removing all the hurdles. Today Gujarat is getting the benefit of rapid development. There were many such projects in Gujarat before 2014 which were not considered by the then government in Delhi. They saw Modi in those projects. They would lose their mind and would cancel and reject those projects immediately. It had put roadblocks in many projects. So much indifference! These people had stopped the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Mother Narmada. We had to sit on a fast to build this Sardar Sarovar Dam. Do you remember or not? And that fast paid off and Sardar Sarovar became a dam. Sauni Yojana became a reality. And Mother Narmada came to the land of Kutch-Kathiawar and made our life bright. This is how work is done here. And now Sardar Sarovar and the name of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel are echoing all over the world because of the tallest statue in the world. People going there would wonder that such a huge statue got ready so soon in Gujarat. This is the strength of Gujarat.
Gujarat has benefited from the rapid development of infrastructure. Today infrastructure projects are progressing at an unprecedented speed and scale. It has benefited all the extensions of Gujarat. There was a time when industries were concentrated only on the stretch from Vadodara to Vapi. One could see all the factories along the National Highway. Our industrial development was limited to this stretch only. Today if you go in any direction of Gujarat you will find small and big industries and factories. The engineering industry of Rajkot provides small parts to all the big and small vehicles made anywhere. Today, the high speed Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project is going on at a fast pace. The logistics arrangements along the Western Dedicated Corridor from Mumbai to Delhi are going on at a brisk pace. When Gujarat's highway is widened to double-triple line, it will strengthen the capacity of Gujarat's ports. Today Gujarat is witnessing unprecedented expansion in air connectivity also. And Ro-Ro ferry service! I remember when we were young we used to read in newspapers about the Ro-Ro ferry service. When I became the Chief Minister, I asked about it and where it is. We had been listening since childhood and today the Ro-Ro ferry service has started. Instead of the earlier 300-350 km, people are now saving eight hours to reach from Surat to Kathiawar.
Today we have seen how development takes place. MSME has emerged as the biggest strength of Gujarat. There was a time when there was no industry except the salt industry in the entire Saurashtra. People of Kutch-Kathiawar had to wander in every corner of India to earn livelihood. But today the people of India want to come to Kutch-Kathiawar. Ports are booming. Today Gujarat's image has changed, friends. The Morbi tiles industry is creating a niche in the world.
The reach of the brass industry of Jamnagar has increased world over. Similarly, it is with the pharma industries. There was a time when the Gujarat Government used to offer so many benefits to lure pharmaceutical companies in Surendranagar. But nothing was happening. Today, major pharmaceutical companies are moving ahead firmly from the soil of Gujarat and Saurashtra. There are many such areas in which Gujarat is progressing at a fast pace. The campaign of One District-One Product across the country has benefited the industrial development of Gujarat. Saurashtra has its own identity and so are the identity of Kathiawar, the Kutch and Gujarat as their adventurous nature and the citizens of Gujarat living life even in the midst of lack of water. Today, the people of Gujarat are also doing wonders in agriculture. This is the strength of Gujarat and to take it on the path of progress, the governments at Gandhinagar and Delhi are working in all four directions.
I congratulate all the citizens for the expansion of health facilities. Bhupendrabhai was just saying that PMJAY and the Ayushman schemes are the biggest such schemes in the world which are running here. The scheme benefits more people than the total population of America and many European countries. Under the Ayushman scheme, the government bears the treatment cost up to five lakh rupees of 50 crore people who suffer from serious diseases.
Brothers, I did not have to read books or watch TV to know what poverty is and the problems of the poor. I am aware of how to live life in poverty. Even today in our society, if the mothers or sisters are sick, they do not tell anyone in the family. They bear the pain and continue with their household chores, and if someone in the family is sick, they also take care of them. Our mothers and sisters do not share their pain with anybody. When it becomes unbearable, they pray to God to call them back because their children are suffering because of her. When the son or daughter comes to know about it, they offer to take her to a good hospital for treatment. But their mother says that it will lead to debt and in any case she does not have many years left. ‘You will drown in debt and your generation will be completely drowned. I will live as many days as God has given and won’t go to the hospital. I do not need treatment by taking loan’. Mothers and sisters of our country would not get treatment because of money. They did not go to hospital fearing their son would drown in debt.
Today a son sitting in Delhi for such mothers is running AYUSH scheme so that they do not suffer and money should not be a problem if they have to undergo operations. I am happy that arrangements have been made in this hospital also so that any person with an Ayushman card can get the full benefits of the government's scheme. Therefore, such a day will not come if someone has to pay from his pockets for treatment. Imagine an elderly person in a middle-class family with a fixed income has diabetes and has to spend 1200-1500 rupees on medicines every month. He has to take injections or pills daily. What will happen to a normal middle-class family if it has to procure such expensive medicines? Jan Aushadhi Kendras have been opened in every nook and corner of India, and the medicines which cost 2000 rupees in the market are available at 100 rupees there. Hundreds of Jan Aushadhi Kendras are being run in India so that people should not have problems with medicines. As a result, anybody can buy affordable medicines and take care of his health and can handle any situation without any burden.
Cleanliness, water and environment are necessary for health. We are running International Yoga Day for good health. I pray that all of you have good health, every child of Gujarat should be healthy and the future of Gujarat should be healthy. On this auspicious occasion, I congratulate the donors and their mothers who raised their children with such values and who have done so much for society. My best wishes to them and greetings to all of you. All of you showered so much love on me. Lakhs of people came to bless me in this scorching summer. This blessing is my biggest strength. This is my wealth. Thousands of sisters were blessing me by standing in the sun keeping the pitcher on their heads as per their Kathiawari tradition. My mothers and sisters have blessed me the way they do when there is any occasion in their family. I salute all those mothers and sisters. May I continue to serve Gujarat and India with their blessings! Thanks a lot.
Bharat Mata ki – Jai
Bharat Mata ki -- Jai
Thanks a lot!
DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.